Monday, August 10, 2009

Blast from the past

Dear Dennis,I am writing to you to express my deep concern about the events that transpired during the recent blackout in Northwest Queens. Many of my members were held up to ridicule and scorn by the New York tabloids the Daily News and Post. My staff spoke to the editorial writers of the Daily News who later printed what was tantamount to a retraction, but as you know the N.Y. Post is a virulently anti-worker anti-union paper and the less said about them the better. What was particularly galling was the response of the Democratic Legislators (with the exception of Cathy Nolan (D-NY)) to the crisis in Queens. In their zeal to attack the performance of Con Edison while pandering to the legitimate anger of their affected constituents, they indiscriminately attacked Con Edison and any and all associated with it. They made no distinction whatever between the managerial corps at Con Edison (the decision makers) and the everyday rank and file Con Edison unionized worker. They stoked the anger of the community to the boiling point. As a result of their actions our members were subjected to an unparalleled vicious verbal assault by members of the community along with being pelted by rocks, eggs, tomatoes etc. along with being spit at while doing live electrical work. Amazingly during the restoration we only had one worker severely burnt, two others overcome with smoke inhalation and one heat stroke victim while working 16 hr shifts for 14 consecutive days to restore electrical service to the community. In speaking to some of my members they felt large segments of the affected community were on the verge of riot. What these politicians did was tantamount to yelling fire in a crowded movie house. As you know our Union has had wall-to-wall coverage at Con Edison since the 40’s. To have a highly trained, highly skilled unionized workforce subjected to the scorn and ridicule of Democratic Officials is hard to take. To this day Assemblyman Gianaris, City Council members Vallone and Gioia, have yet to make a distinction between the hardworking union men and women of Con Edison and the managerials who make the decisions on investments in upgrading the infrastructure. They take our money, our phone banks and our endorsements and when the chips are down often abandon us. I know at the upcoming C.O.P.E. Convention some of these same politicians will be receiving the endorsement of the N.Y. State AFL-CIO. I am asking at the very least for you to read this letter to your Executive Council before your endorsements.

17 comments:

Anonymous
said...

The point is that the three tenors of NW Queens actually do very little for their communities. They get their hands on fantastic amounts of money, but instead of groups within their areas getting generous support, most of it goes toward development projects.

Their communities (with the exception of bike lanes and tower people) are in tatters. Their shopping areas are a disaster. The quality of buildings, even for the tower people, will not stand the test of time. Ignoring the laws from illegal conversions, dirty streets the rule of thumb. The services for the communities (outside of tree plantings again for developers) are declining. The police indifferent.

Exhibit A of what is wrong with this borough and you only need cross the East River.

Right now Gianaris is helping a tenant in my building who has received a gas bill for several thousand dollars covering a time period where there was no gas in the building because Con Ed shut service off at the main for safety reasons.

Please note, I was sent a bill for over hundred dollars for gas for that time period as well but mine was immediately dismissed since I had formally asked to have my gas turned off when Con Ed shut off service at the main.

These tenants never spent more than $20.00/month for gas when they had gas since theirs is cooking only.

I am very pro-worker, but there are two sides to every story and sometimes the politicians actually help their constituents.

If Gianaris really cared, he would have not been playing softball with Con Ed the summer of the blackout, would have stopped cafes from air conditioning the sidewalk, and realize that, if the grid is shaky with our current population, encouraging "planned developement" whatever the hell that means (10,000s of people in plain English) is asking for a disaster to happen.

Bike lanes and green roofs my ass.

(come on hack, you can read this - your reading comprehension level is higher than the Gazette we trust)

Con Edison isn't the only problem in this electrical generation mess. The fact that people in Manhattan are allowed to get their electricity from Astoria while mothballing their own plants doesn't help.

Nor does the rampant overdevelopment.

Nonetheless, one doesn't have to be Thomas Edison to correctly figure a bill. If you can explain to me how someone without any way of receiving gas should be tormented by gas bills of thousands, I am all ears.

And I don't think Gianaris has to join IEEE or get his PE in electrical engineering to deal with such an administrative issue either.

Con Edison isn't the only problem in this electrical generation mess. The fact that people in Manhattan are allowed to get their electricity from Astoria while mothballing their own plants doesn't help.------------------------------

Well fireball, who is in office while this is happening?

We work at Con Ed and were responsible for paying back customers the refund that Mike promised them - a refund that is coming out of --- roll of drums - your bill!

Pretty smart on Mike's part (and pretty stupid on those of you in Astoria that fell for it)

Well anyway, the refunds stopped when we were getting the fourth and fifth request from the same basement apartment.

Its pretty well known by employees in Con Ed that no one has the foggiest notion just how many people were are supplying with energy.

you want to plan, or just bitch and grumble and stoke a stupid mob.

If you people were so smart, why did you not get after Mike and Eric and Peter when days went by and no one in the community stepped up to the plate to handle the emergency.

Well, I never asked for or received any of those refunds even thought I experienced a small loss due to the blackout. I felt that the money belonged to the truly destitute--it is rough to have a sense of shame.

In the meantime, twist some arms for me and find out why Con Ed bills people without any gas hook-up for exorbitant bills.

I feel like the punchline in the old gag--we don't care, we don't have to care--we're the Phone company. And you know where that went with Ma Bell decimated and everyone on VOIP today.

No you are missing my point. The politicians have their part to play but they didn't send my gas-less neighbor a thousand dollar bill for same. If you believe that this is acceptable business practice, no wonder you are starting to reap real contempt.

Con Ed has become very arrogant because it is the only game in town. Enron? Anyone?

Con Ed has become very arrogant because it is the only game in town. Enron? Anyone?---

No, the Democratic Clubhouse is the only game in town and if they take over Con Ed look out!

I have been getting Con Ed bills for 40 years and never a problem in billing - and the vast majority of people can say the same.

Astoria's problem is a hell of a lot more serious than billing.

And you have dodged the question, so why dont you ask your friend Gianaris the following:

1. Why did the Tower People (and Vallone) have electricity - and not the rest of western Queens?

2. Why are they still adding to the power grid with development if no one knows how many people are here - or if Con Ed is so inept as they claim?

3. Why did the city, in light of 9/11, so piss poor in responding to the emergency - no I don't mean blaming Con Ed - that is not a response to a crisis?

4. Why are cafes still air conditioning the sidewalks of Ditmars?

5. What is the projected demand for electricity and the projected supply for the next decade?

(the last is a trick question because your friend Gianaris is endorsing a development upzoning where the city planning folks brassily claim that the tally of residents will be estimated only when they are finished).

For the people of Astoria to accept that last point is an example of astonishing stupidity.

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